tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14215370.post114244752490864896..comments2023-10-31T07:29:17.510-07:00Comments on = LNews =: Study: Seniors Fear Medical DiscriminationLNewsEditorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516265929045096334noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14215370.post-1142447626491607182006-03-15T10:33:00.000-08:002006-03-15T10:33:00.000-08:00JIC Post: By Dene MooreCanadian PressMONTREAL — Ga...JIC Post: <BR/>By Dene Moore<BR/>Canadian Press<BR/><BR/>MONTREAL — Gays and lesbians who grew up in the days when homosexuality was considered a mental illness are now seniors who face continued discrimination and self-imposed silence when it comes to accessing the health-care services they need, says a study released Tuesday.<BR/><BR/>"People were once forced into psychiatric institutions," said Bill Ryan, one of the lead researchers in the study by the McGill University School of Social Work. "Going to a doctor was a very fearful experience for many people."<BR/><BR/>Homosexual seniors are still afraid to reveal their sexual orientation to their doctor or other health care providers, said the study, which was done over four years.<BR/><BR/>Shari Brotman, co-author of the study, said many recalled medical treatment to "cure" their homosexuality.<BR/><BR/>"Their relationship throughout their early lives with the health-care system was one of extreme discrimination and hostility," Brotman said.<BR/><BR/>"So they come to their older selves, requiring care, losing some autonomy . . . and they really are afraid to access the same system that treated them so badly when they were younger."<BR/><BR/>Researchers spoke to seniors, their caregivers and health-care providers in Montreal, Vancouver and Halifax.<BR/><BR/>Their sample group was small — 38 seniors, 31 health-care providers and 21 caregivers — but the stories were similar, researchers said.<BR/><BR/>Lobotomies, shock therapy and jail were once common reactions to same-sex attraction.<BR/><BR/>"You didn’t want anybody to know," said Wilfrid Dube, a 71-year-old who spent much of his life in the closet.<BR/><BR/>"You were called sissy, teased. What I had to do was adapt myself, adopt the behaviours of people who were more masculine."<BR/><BR/>And while much has changed, there are still a surprising number of stories of discrimination, Brotman said.<BR/><BR/>One woman told researchers that her home-care provider arrived with a Bible to "save her." Another was told she didn’t need an annual pap smear because she was a lesbian.<BR/><BR/>Older men said they were assumed to have AIDS.<BR/><BR/>Some gay couples said they signed into care homes as brothers so they could share a room, where they hugged and shared affection only behind closed doors.<BR/><BR/>"I find that pretty sad," Ryan said.<BR/><BR/>Diane Heffernan, 64, recalled one recent incident during an appointment with a specialist.<BR/><BR/>"I told him I was a lesbian and right away he said, ‘you need an AIDS test,’ as if I was contaminated," said Heffernan, a co-ordinator for the Quebec Lesbian Network.<BR/><BR/>Partners, children and friends who take care of homosexual seniors are also marginalized, the study found.<BR/><BR/>Homosexual partners aren’t granted the same rights as heterosexual spouses, and in a community where family relations are often strained, non-family caregivers are rarely included in medical decision-making the same way as family members would be, said researchers.<BR/><BR/>There are many seniors who have good relationships with their health-care providers, Brotman said.<BR/><BR/>But "we have to pay attention to those who don’t."<BR/><BR/>The study calls for increased training within the health-care sector and greater effort to reach out to gay and lesbian seniors.<BR/><BR/>’People were once forced into psychiatric institutions.’LNewsEditorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15516265929045096334noreply@blogger.com